Hopefully this comment is helpful to fellow entrepreneurs as well.<p>Learnings From Working With Lawyers<p>- You Need to Manage Your Lawyer, Not The Other Way Around<p>Your lawyer often will not understand the priority of a business issue or the impact that a delay in resolution can have on the business. It is your responsibility to explain that to them AND have them get it done. With multiple clients, you are, in reality competing for your lawyer’s time. Just because you are paying them well does not mean they will get it done on your schedule. Don't expect that.<p>- Tell Them Everything, No Matter the Situation<p>The more your lawyer knows about the business situation, the context, your concerns, your goals, the more a good lawyer can determine the best solution. There are typically many available solutions for a given problem, or many ways to negotiate a contract, the more your lawyer understands the sensitivities of the issue at hand, the better the ultimate outcome. And if your response to this is, I don't trust my lawyer, you need to find a new lawyer.<p>- Don't Be Afraid to Make Suggestions or Modifications<p>While they are experts in the law, they again are not necessarily experts in the situation. You have every right to redline your own lawyer's contracts with typos, word choices, or comment if something doesn't approach the business problem the right way. Just like in any requirements gathering process, you need to own the output from a business standpoint.<p>Suggestions for Lawyers<p>- Deliver What You Promised, When You Promised<p>What everyone is looking for when hiring a service provider of any kind is certainty that the job will get done. If you said you would send it first thing in the morning, send it at 9am PT or earlier, not 12pm PT. If you said you would follow up with questions before moving to the next round of negotiations, do it without needing to be asked twice. If you have run into a challenge, disclose it as soon as possible versus waiting until the next meeting. The sheer number of times I have had to remind lawyers that they owe me something or they are late on a deliverable is far too high for a high paid profession.<p>- Better Delineate What is "Market" and What is Negotiable<p>Most of the time in contracts there are certain things that are not negotiable or have to be in there for a certain reason. Don't lead your client down the road of negotiating on those types of items. It wastes everyone’s time and while it may help your billable hours in the short term, you will burn trust in the long term. Founders rely on you to understand what is negotiable / market / fair. Be that voice, especially when a founder is trying to negotiate something that will ultimately make them look foolish for negotiating on it.<p>- Invoice Timely and Accurately<p>While it seems basic, invoice items timely along with a brief description. Don't assume that founders will remember why you spent 12 hours negotiating an "NDA". As you build a relationship of trust, this can be more high level. But the number of times I've gotten duplicate invoices, or invoices with descriptions that are wrong or that seem out of bounds is far too high.